Field of '40s Fords

Recently, a friend was house hunting when he came across a field of mostly ’40s Fords in the hills of North Carolina. Not having the time to follow up on the cars, he noted where they were and gave me the info. I arrived in town on a Friday evening, and by Saturday morning we were on our way.

2/4’40 Ford Standard Tudor

Driving there, we discovered even more vintage tin rotting away—everything from a Dodge Dart to a first-gen Camaro SS. We found the yard, and the owner immediately walked out and greeted us. I told him who we were, and that our intention was not to buy but rather view and photograph his yard. He was more than happy to give us full access.

The owner told us how he’d collected cars for decades but now needed to sell them because the county wants him to clean up the place. He had mostly ’40s Fords, but there were a few later-model Fords and other makes, like a DeSoto with a Hemi and a ’60s Pontiac wagon. Behind the first barn, he had stashed away his first car, a ’40 Ford Standard Tudor that he had hoped to restore one day.

3/4’36 Ford Coupe

Most of the cars had a lot of rust and mold, but not so much that they needed to be junked. These were restorable hot rods. I just hope the cars like these in yards and barns nationwide are saved before the crusher comes in and makes them all just a memory.

Ryan Brutt is the proprietor of CarsInBarns.BlogSpot.com and spends an inordinate amount of time seeking barn finds and hidden treasures. If you know of a secret stash of great cars that have been lost to neglect, contact Ryan at TheAutoArcheologist@yahoo.com. — Ed.